Strictly Come Dancing welcomes back ex-winner Kelvin Fletcher for Blackpool week

‘Emmerdale’ star won the competition in 2019 alongside Oti Mabuse

Strictly Come Dancing fans were delighted to see former winner Kelvin Fletcher make a surprise appearance on the series during Blackpool week.

BBC’s flagship dance competition returned to screens on Saturday (18 November) for the much-awaited Blackpool Tower Ballroom special episode.

Fletcher, 39, took home the Glitterball Trophy in 2019 alongside professional dance partner Oti Mabuse who exited the competition in 2022.

The former Emmerdale star returned to the series during Saturday’s episode (18 November) together with host Claudia Winkleman, 51.

Bursting through a curtain of gold tinsel, Fletcher looked dapper in a black suit as he read aloud the show’s voting terms and conditions.

He took a moment to embrace professional dancers Graziano di Prima and Neil Jones.

As Fletcher read the terms, Elvis Presley’s “JailHouse Rock” played in the background, with Winkelman asking him: “That was your jive, you did it in here. Do you remember?”

The routine had wowed the panel of judges when he and Mabuse performed it in Blackpool four years ago. The duo scored 39 out of 40 points.

Fletcher told Winkleman: “What a place and what a show. We still watch it as a family. We absolutely love it.”

Saturday night’s episode (18 November) saw the remaining Strictly couples take to the famous sprung floor of the Blackpool Tower Ballroom to perform their most elaborate routines yet.

Once again, there were high scores for Ellie Leach and her partner Vito Coppola (whose affectionate behaviour only fanned the flames of romance rumours) and Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin – but Craig Revel Horwood still refused to reach for that all-important 10 paddle.

(BBC/Guy Levy)

There were several highlights from the episode, including an unexpected pole dancing number from Williams and Kuzmin, a nostalgic American Smooth routine from Angela Rippon, and a Charleston from Leach and Coppola that left judge Anton du Beke speechless.

You can find all the talking points from Strictly’s Blackpool special here, as well as an updated leaderboard of all the remaining contestants here.